World could see magnitude 10-quake in future, says researcher

Tokyo, Dec 15 (ANI): It is possible that the world could see a quake with a magnitude of around 10, an expert has said.

A researcher at Tohoku University told Japan's Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction, that the energy of such an earthquake would be 30 times greater than the magnitude 9.0 quake that hit the country's northeast on March 11, 2011.

"The estimate does not mean that a magnitude 10 quake will inevitably happen," the Japan Times quoted Toru Matsuzawa, a professor at the university's Research Center for Prediction of Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions, as saying.

"If it happens, it would take place around once every 10,000 years," he added.

According to the paper, no magnitude 10 earthquake has ever been observed.

The most powerful quake ever recorded was a magnitude 9.5 temblor in Chile in 1960.

According to the report, a magnitude 10 quake would likely cause ground motions for up to an hour, with tsunami hitting while the shaking was still going on, according to the research.

Tsunami would continue for several days, causing damage to several Pacific Rim nations, it added. (ANI)